According to its CEO, international expansion is not a priority now.
According to its CEO, Medical City (TMC) is expanding to the Philippines province with at least 2 million people as it adds at least 28 clinics over the next two years, mainly through the acquisition of existing hospitals.
“Our strategy now is due to timeline and complexity rather than building a new hospital,” Dr. Stuart Bennett, president and group CEO of TMC, told Ashealtcare Asia in a video interview.
The Manila-based hospital chain now has 72 primary care clinics.
Bennett, who began his career as a frontline military surgeon in the Royal Navy, said they targeted that there were not enough hospitals outside Metro Manila, such as Cebu and Davao.
“Our approach is very simple,” he said. “We want to target the biggest threat to the Philippines' population. What are the main causes of death? What are the biggest causes of long-term illness?”
TMC's flagship hospital in Pasig City, near the Philippine capital, has 521 beds and will expand as the year ends. It is also affiliated in Clark, Pampanga, Laguna and Pangasinan, located in the main island of Luzon and the Iloilo province in the central Philippines.
Bennett said technological innovation is crucial to their expansion efforts.
“This year alone, we’ve purchased a new linear accelerator for cancer treatment,” he said. “We’re still finalizing the machine we’re going to buy, but it will be state-of-the-art and enhance our radiation therapy capabilities.”
TMC also invested in the latest version of DA Vinci robotic surgical system and explored more about how artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance its clinical services. “We have been using chest X-ray analysis for many years,” Bennett said.
He added: “Because AI has been extensively discussed but is not always well understood in terms of proper application, we make sure we have the way we think, rather than rushing into areas we are not completely familiar with.”
The CEO said the company will explore partnerships to expand its reach, adding that the TMC works closely with the government to improve health care.
Bennett said TMC recently worked with state-owned Rizal Medical Center to improve its plans to enter liver transplants.
TMC manages Guam Regional Medical City, although international expansion is not an urgent matter now.
He added: “We have also strengthened our relationship with Papua New Guinea and other small Pacific islands, aiming to build a regional medical network.”
